Why corporate responsibility is important to McDonald’s
Corporate responsibility means many things to many people. At McDonald’s, being a responsible company means living our values to enable us to serve food responsibly and work toward a sustainable future.
I am proud to lead a company that supports its values with the actions described in this report. At the same time, I know that we can do better.
We have learned some very important things over the years. We understand that acting responsibly is not just the right thing to do, but the smart thing to do for our business and that there is always room for improvement. Continuously improving our social and environmental performance is a key ingredient to our continued success as a company and central to our commitment to using our size and scope to make the world a better place.
Being better means a lot of things for McDonald’s. Being better, not just bigger is what has made our Plan to Win successful. You have seen it in our business performance, through operations excellence, marketing relevance, menu diversification and investing in new and remodeled restaurants. The same principles apply to corporate responsibility - using less, yet offering more, being more energy efficient, sourcing in a sustainable manner, providing more opportunities to our diverse workforce, giving more back to the communities that support us and more.
While our obligations as a responsible company touch on several fronts, our main priorities should be clear– our food, our people, and the environment.
It all begins with our food. We are committed to providing choices, assuring quality and safety, delivering great taste, and sourcing in an ethical manner. I believe our continued success is based on our ability to deliver on all these fronts. We will continue to focus our efforts on enhancing the sustainability of our supply chain and on providing quality, safe food and a balanced array of menu options that meet the needs of today’s consumers.
Our people are both the backbone and the face of McDonald’s. They are the ones who make it all happen – people who care, people who are motivated, people who are committed to lead the way, not follow the crowd.
In today’s world, we know we need to offer a compelling employment value proposition to attract and retain the committed and talented employees that are the foundation for any company’s success. This means providing a fulfilling workplace for today’s employees, opportunities for training and development and most of all, a work environment based on respect, diversity and inclusion.
Environmental responsibility has long been a key component of our commitment to corporate responsibility. In 1990, we first established our Global Environmental Commitment, and since then, we have been seeking out, and acting on, ways to enhance our environmental performance.
For example, we continue to seek additional ways to enhance energy efficiency in our restaurants. Resource conservation is a top issue for business and society. More efficient use of energy helps us save money and reduces our environmental impact. To me, that is what corporate responsibility is all about - finding the intersection of doing good for society and doing good for our business.
I thank you for your interest in McDonald’s corporate responsibility progress, whether you are part of our System’s efforts to translate our values into action, or an outside stakeholder, customer, shareholder, or neighbor. We welcome your comments and suggestions for improvement, and I can assure you, we will never stop working to be better tomorrow than we are today.
Jim Skinner
Chief Executive Officer